Semiconductor chips have become progressively more complex, driven in large part by the need for increasing processing power in a smaller chip size for compact or portable electronic devices such as cell phones, smart phones, personal media systems, or ultraportable computers.
As sizes of chips and chip packages shrink, manufacturing complexity increases. A layered substrate is an important part of many chip packages to support and protect the chip. One common material for substrates is “prepreg” which stands for “pre-impregnated” composite fibers where a binding agent is already present. However, prepreg is relatively expensive material, and is not easily processed.
Thus, a need still remains for an easier and cheaper way to form substrates. In view of the shrinking sizes of electronic components, it is increasingly critical that answers be found to these problems. Growing consumer expectations and the diminishing opportunities for meaningful product differentiation in the marketplace make it critical that answers be found for these problems. Additionally, the need to reduce costs, improve efficiencies and performance, and meet competitive pressures adds an even greater urgency to the critical necessity for finding answers to these problems.
Solutions to these problems have been long sought but prior developments have not taught or suggested any solutions and, thus, solutions to these problems have long eluded those skilled in the art.